Addicted to Poison
by messed up stargazer
Summary: Jim loves apples. Everyone knows that. Well, this might change all that... R&R please! Warning: There will be kissing inside. K/S


Once upon a time, there was a kingdom that reached across an entire planet, Fabula. There lived a king and queen and all the king wanted was an heir. So he went to the kingdom witch, a very beautiful but malicious woman, who was very surprised to find him there.

The king said, "If you give me a son, I will give you anything you want."

The witch considered this. Finally she came to a decision. "If I give you a son, you must make me the godmother."

The king lost his voice for a minute. Being godmother would make her the mother of his son if anything were to happen to his loving wife. But, feeling desperate, he agreed to the witch's terms. The next year, a son was born, just like the witch agreed. But giving birth to a son conceived by magic proved to be too much for the queen. She died, and the king was forced to uphold his end of the bargain. He married the witch, and she became the mother of his son. But the witch proved to be a good mother. She raised his son as well as the king's own wife could have. The only problem was she thought he was the finest man in the entire kingdom. And he was incredibly beautiful but his heart was that of his godmother's. He was vain and proud and his mother allowed him to be envious of everyone around him.

On his twenty-first birthday, he was given a mirror. At first he thought nothing of it, but his mother showed him how to awaken the mirror. It was magic.

Whenever he spoke the rhyme,

"Mirror, mirror, how you shine,

who is the most fine?"

The mirror would reply each and every time,

"Tis you, tis you, you are to blame,

for it is you who put all other men to shame."

And that satisfied the young prince, as much as his envious heart would let him be satisfied.

* * *

Jim Kirk loved apples. Green, red, pie, it didn't matter. If it had apples in it in any way Kirk wanted it. Even Doctor 'Bones' McCoy couldn't explain his friend's strange addiction. But he was satisfied with it. As long as he made sure the mess was stocked very thoroughly with apples, Kirk wouldn't shirk the duty of eating during a crisis. Well, unless it was a whole meal.

The Enterprise had a new mission, as it always seemed to these days, but this mission seemed so much simpler. An obscure planet named Fabula wanted to join the Federation, and since they needed a break, the admirals decided to give the mission to them. Thankful of a break, Kirk accepted the mission gladly. So there they went.

"I get why you're going, and I get why pointy ears is going, but you still haven't given me a sufficient reason of why I'm going." Bones protested.

"For the fourth and final time, because I said so. So shut up. And either pack now or I'll do it for you." Kirk threatened, fed up with his friend's unwillingness.

The real reason why he wanted his friend to go with him was never to be spoken aloud, especially to Bones himself. Kirk didn't trust anyone else to put him back together, which he knew would need to happen eventually. But he would never, ever, admit this.

After Bones packed in a matter of seconds, threatening to touch his stuff as incentive was safely tucked away in Kirk's head, they finally got to the transporter room. As they finally stepped in, Kirk's heart sped up slightly. In there was Commander Spock talking to Ensign Greenaway. Jet black hair, extraordinary brown eyes, irresistible pink lips, and pointed ears. It was enough to make Kirk's heart flutter and stomach flip.

He and Spock had come out of the 'Nero incident' best friends. They usually spent their nights in each other's quarters, talking and playing three-dimensional chess. And as much as he hated admitting it, after all he had a reputation to uphold, he'd fallen head over heels in love with Spock. Everything about him just seemed perfect... but Spock liked girls. His brief fling with Lieutenant Uhura proved that. And although he wasn't content with loving him in silence, he was resigned to it. How could someone as amazing as Spock love some idiot like him?

"Captain we're ready for transport." said Montgomery Scott, the best engineer Starfleet had to offer.

"Thanks, Scotty." The team of four stepped onto the pads. "Energize."

When Kirk felt solid ground beneath his feet once more, he opened his eyes. The land was beautiful. Long, open fields, tall trees, and there was a castle right in front of them. It was large and had many tall towers.

"Captain Kirk?" Came a heavily accented voice.

He broke his gaze from the landscape and saw a humanoid with pale skin, pointed features, who was dressed in ceremonial battle armor.

"That's me. It's a pleasure to meet you..."

"I am the king." He responded.

Kirk bowed lowly. "Your majesty."

"Please. My home is yours. Come." The king led them into the castle and when a beautiful woman approached them, they bowed again, this clearly being the queen.

She smiled at them, but when her gaze reached Kirk the smile dropped from her eyes and became plastic.

"My dear, where is our son? I wish for him to meet these people." The king asked.

"I'll send for him, my lord." The queen bowed and left them.

"Your wife is a very beautiful woman." Kirk commented.

"Yes. She is." The king agreed half- heartedly.

Soon after, they met the king's son. He had hair black as ebony, skin white as snow, and lips red as blood. Ensign Greenaway, who was only on this excursion because she knew the most about Federation Regulations, sighed. Kirk grinned. It was clear his young Ensign was entirely smitten with the prince. Although he had to admit, the young prince was very hot.

"Hi, my name is James Kirk but you can call me Jim." Kirk extended his hand.

The prince looked at him in disgust, spat at his feet, and stormed off.

Kirk, afraid he did something to offend the young man, turned to the king and asked if he did anything to offend him.

"No, my friend. I must apologize for his behavior. He is very... resistant to strangers." The king said.

Kirk nodded, understanding.

* * *

The prince ran to his room in the second tallest tower. _Could it be possible? Mother told me I was the most beautiful. Could she be wrong?  
_  
Bursting into his room, he cried out.

"Mirror, mirror, how you shine,  
who is this most fine?"

The mirror replied,

"You are fine, that is true  
but there is one angel finer than you."

Enraged the prince screamed, "How?"

"Eye like the sky  
hair spun from gold  
nowhere is there a heart so bold  
that is why."

The prince started to pace, trying to think of a way of getting this man to leave. His father wouldn't let him throw him in prison, his mother could not help him... or could she? She did use to be a witch...

The more he thought, the more he liked the idea. The man was an angel, was he? Well, he was going to send this 'angel' to heaven.

Permanently.

* * *

As the queen sat admiring herself in the mirror, there came a small rap at the door.

"Come in." She called.

Her son entered.

"Hello, Mother. I need your help." The prince said.

"That's what a mother is for. What is it?" She asked.

"There is a man. He is... finer than me. The mirror has spoken." Her son said.

She pursed her lips. "And what can I do?"

"Give me a poison. Those who are dead are never known as fine." The son said, a gleam in his eyes she remembered well.

"All right. Give me an hour." She told him.

He nodded and left her chamber. She thought long about what she could use for this man. She could offer him a new shirt and poison that... No he wouldn't put it on right away. She could give him a poisoned brush... No he is male. He hardly brushes his hair. Then the idea came to her.

"All men must eat." She cackled and began working.

* * *

After an hour had passed, the prince returned to his mother's chambers.

"Have you finished?" He asked.

"Yes, my son. Here is an apple. This is the poison you seek." She smiled, holding up the lusciously green piece of fruit.

He took the apple, and was so enchanted by it, he nearly bit into it.

"Do not, my son. One bite, and you will fall down dead." The queen warned.

The spell broken, he nodded.

"But there is one cure to this, my son." The witch warned.

"What?" He asked.

"If he were to have a kiss from his true love, the poison would lose its effect." The queen said.

"He only has his first in command, a doctor, and some little girl who's fallen for me. His true love is nowhere near here." The prince answered arrogantly.

* * *

Ensign Greenaway worked tirelessly going over the laws and ordinances of the kingdom, making sure it was Federation standard. After a day, she announced Fabula was eligible to join.

The king announced the same and proclaimed there to be a feast in celebration. The men cheered, the women fainted, the children waved multi- colored flags. The prince approached Kirk after the declaration.

"I must apologize for my behavior. It was conduct unbecoming of my position. I'm sorry." The prince lied.

"Hey, no harm, no foul." Kirk shrugged, and offered his hand.

The prince took it. "Thank you Captain. Now I must ask a question. Do you like apples?"

"Yeah, they're my favorite!" Kirk responded enthusiastically.

"Wonderful. I have a small token of my gratitude. I have placed it in your tower. Will you fetch it with me?" The prince grinned.

"Sure." Kirk returned the smile.

The prince and Kirk had gotten to the base of the tower when they heard someone call out, "Captain?"

Recognizing the voice immediately, Kirk turned and answered, "Yes, Mr. Spock?"

"Captain, remember the feast is in twenty minutes." Spock reminded him. He was simply doing what logic dictated, obviously.

Kirk laughed. "Thank you, Mr. Spock. What would I do without you?"

Spock blushed slightly green and said nothing.

The prince, knowing he was running out of time, urged Kirk up the stairs. When they arrived in Kirk's temporary quarters, there lay one tantalizing green apple. Kirk's mouth started watering just looking at it.

"Thank you. Truly." Kirk breathed, nothing but sincerity entered his voice.

The prince swallowed hard. He hadn't been expecting this kind of reaction from Kirk.

"Excuse me; I must finish preparing for the feast. Please. Take a bite." The prince got out as fast as he could.

Kirk shrugged off this strange behavior and sank his teeth into the apple.

But then Kirk sank to his knees, numbness flooding his senses. His body went slack, and he barely registered the apple falling from his grasp. The apple rolled down the stairs but Kirk was unaware. His eyes had closed and he exhaled. His heart had stopped beating.

* * *

"Damn, where is that kid?" Bones muttered. It was five minutes to the feast and the guest of honor was nowhere to be found.

"Mr. Spock, have you seen Jim?" Bones asked.

"The last I saw him the prince was leading him up the tower." Spock answered. "I reminded him of the feast, but I will see if he still is there."

Bones was about to stop him, but thought better of it. He just prayed Jim was alone. Otherwise it might break the poor pointy- eared bastard's heart.

His thoughts were interrupted by suddenly coming face to face with the ground. He'd tripped over something. He searched a little and found the offensive object. It was a beautiful green apple with a Jim- sized bite in it.

_That isn't like him. The idiot kid will eat the core in front of me, just to gross me out. He wouldn't take one bite and discard it._ Bones thought.

And the apple looked so good. He opened his mouth to take one bite, just one...

"Doctor!" Spock's almost scream stopped him cold. His hand tightened on the apple as he raced up the stairs.

The first thing that scared him was Jim's outstretched, limp hand in the doorway. His pace quickened and he fell to his knees when he saw him. Jim was lying on the floor, as if he were dead. His eyes were closed, he wasn't moving, and his chest wasn't rising.

"No! Jim, you are not dying on me today!" Not having his medical bag, he started CPR, an outdated practice but one needed now, "Jim, come on, breathe dammit! I'm not losing you today! You can't die! I said, breathe dammit!"

He didn't notice but tears were spilling down his cheeks.

"Jim, come on! You can beat this! Please! Breathe, dammit..." But there was nothing to be done. Jim's heart had stopped and it wasn't restarting.

* * *

The prince ran to his room, eager that his plan worked. Once there, he said loudly,

"Mirror, mirror, how you shine,

who is the most fine?"

The mirror had a twinge of sadness in its voice when it answered,

"Everything has run amiss,

the angel is dead,

but you'll lose your head,

if he wakes by true loves kiss."

The prince let out a harsh laugh.

"Please. His wife is probably sitting at home, waiting for a husband who'll never come home. He will never wake. The poisoned apple I gave him made sure of it."

The prince responded with such arrogance and pride that he didn't notice Ensign Greenaway in his doorway.

* * *

_Dani Greenaway knew a lot about laws and regulations. It was something she prided herself with. The other thing she prided herself with was being chosen to serve on the Enterprise. Her Captain was a great man, and she loved serving under him. But then she heard anguished screams and she raced towards them. There she found Captain_  
_Kirk lying dead on the floor, McCoy sobbing relentlessly, and Commander Spock kneeling next to them, looking... shocked. His grief had broken through his Vulcan exterior._

_She heard a scream of agony, and then realized it had come from her as she started crying. "Ensign Greenaway?" Spock asked, trying to regain his composure._

_"Yes?" Her voice cracked horribly._

_"Find the prince. He was the last to see him..." Spock couldn't finish the sentence._

_"Yes, sir." She broke into a run._

_She needed a shoulder to cry on, and the prince had been so nice to her. People tried talking to her, but she ignored them. Her Captain was dead. Couldn't they see her world was ending? Quickly reaching the prince's tower, her first place to look, she only stepped up every other stair. The door was open and she heard what he was saying. "His wife is probably sitting at home, waiting for a husband who'll never come home. He will never wake. The poisoned apple I gave him made sure of it."_

She froze. Could she believe it? Yes. His mouth was moving and the voice was his. That bastard had killed one of the greatest men she knew. He turned as he heard her labored breathing. His gaze turned vicious. She ran back down the steps, him close behind her. She prayed everything Kirk says- said about McCoy was true as she led him right to the good doctor. He was gaining but her small frame allowed her to sly more over the stairs than his bulky form. She jumped into the room, crashing into Spock but quickly getting to her feet. The prince followed her... only to be slammed into the wall by a grief- stricken McCoy.

"What happened to him?" He snarled.

"How should I know?" The prince lied.

"Liar! You did this! I heard you! You poisoned him!" She screamed, heartbroken.

Dropping the charade, the prince grinned maliciously.

"What's the antidote?" McCoy ground out.

"Something you will never find. A kiss from his true love." The prince had the audacity to laugh.

McCoy slugged him, effectively shutting him up.

Greenaway's last hopes were crushed. There was no way they'd find James T Kirk, the galaxy's best womanizer's true love. She doubted he even had one.

* * *

Greenaway broke down into tears. McCoy simply stared at his friend's body, looking lost and despondent. Spock felt one tear slide down his cheek. His friend was dead. He could barely believe what his eyes and ears were telling him.

_Impossible... Jim cannot be dead...  
_  
But he was. And so were Spock's hopes. He knew he loved Jim Kirk the first night they played chess together. Jim was human, flawed, caring, compassionate, strong, pure hearted, loving, and deserving of love. But Spock knew Jim was straight, as the humans called it. So he kept his distance. He never revealed to anyone that he loved Jim. Especially not Jim himself. And now it was too late.

The tear dropped from his face, landing on Jim's lower lip. That caused a microscopic twitch; one so small Spock barely noticed it.

If Jim twitched... No. Spock would not raise his hopes. Logic dictated Jim was dead. He had no pulse...

But, against all logic, Spock leaned down swiftly and placed a gentle kiss on Jim's warm lips. Spock's heart clenched. It felt as if Jim were alive, as if Death had never claimed him.

As he opened his eyes, he was unsure as to why he closed them, Jim's lifeless body still lay beneath him. Then, in what Doctor McCoy would call a miracle, Jim started to choke. McCoy, being a doctor, able to push aside his shock, gently lifted Jim and struck his back, the sound echoing throughout the room. A piece of apple flew from his mouth, and Jim took a deep breath, inhaling life as well as oxygen.

Dull blue eyes opened and looked around.

"What'd I miss?"

As if the only thing obscuring their lungs had been freed, McCoy and Greenaway started laughing. It took all of Spock's self- control to not join in.

"No! Why couldn't you just stay dead?"

In their stupor, they had forgotten the murderous prince. The young lad had a wild look in his eyes and unsheathed his sword.

"Put that thing away, kid!" McCoy shouted, putting a protective arm around Jim.

But when the prince didn't back down, Spock defended his Captain, kicking the wrist of their attacker, intent on disarming him. But the prince reacted and the sword went high. The prince looked up but couldn't catch it. As the sword fell, it severed the prince's head from his shoulders.

Jim turned away in disgust. But Spock, McCoy, and Ensign Greenaway were all overjoyed. Their Captain was safe and he had returned to them. And he was there to stay.

* * *

McCoy immediately had himself and Jim beamed back up to the Enterprise. Spock and Ensign Greenaway explained what had happened to the king. At first, the queen ordered them to be executed. But the king asked where the prince had gotten the poison. Her proud heart, which was her undoing, caused the queen to answer he'd gotten it from her. The king threw her into prison. And he also asked if the offer to join the Federation was still open. Ensign Greenaway assured him it was. He told them they were proud to be Federation citizens.

Their task complete, the witch imprisoned and Jim safe, they beamed back to the Enterprise.

"Spock, lad, Captain asked to see you. McCoy won't let him leave, so he asked if you could go to him." Scott said on their arrival.

Spock nodded, and headed toward sickbay. Illogical doubts plagued his mind, but he faced the Captain nonetheless.

"You wanted to speak with me." Spock stated.

"I did, I did. You see, Spock, Bones told me what you did down there." Jim said in his 'Captain's voice', as he called it.

Spock said nothing.

C'mere Spock." Jim patted the biobed and smiled.

Spock moved closer to the Captain but did not sit.

Jim groaned, grabbed a fist full of Spock's shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. Spock, surprised, did not responded but Jim allowed his love to flow into Spock and Spock kissed him back.

They broke away when Jim was starting to feel light- headed from the lack of air.

"I've been waiting a long time to do that." Jim's famous lopsided grin etched its way across his face.

Spock wasn't entirely familiar with human custom, but he'd seen it happen multiple times. He kissed the grin off Jim's face.

* * *

"And they lived happily ever after."

Jim's daughter, Kat'ty, was fast asleep under her covers. He gently tucked her in, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and whispered, "Goodnight Princess."

Jim closed the book he wrote. He'd written others, just like this. He smiled. He loved telling his daughter stories of his adventures on the Enterprise. And 'Captain Jim' was her favorite story, so everything just fell into place. He tiptoed out of her room, there was no saying Vulcan hearing wasn't hereditary, and oh so quietly closed her door.

Not looking up from the papers he was grading, Spock voiced, "I suppose Captain Jim had another adventure tonight."

"Your assumption would be correct." Jim replied, plopping down on the couch next to his husband.

"Which was it this time?" Spock asked, making a correction on a student's paper.

"The Fabula thing. She wanted a fairytale and that was as close as I could get." Jim nuzzled into Spock's neck lovingly. "Except for bonding with you, of course."

Nothing else was said. Nothing else needed to be said. Jim said they lived happily ever after. Truer words had never been spoken.


End file.
